Databases A-Z & Subject  

Under each subject we have tried to list the resources that are most specialized for finding material on that subject. The listing may not include General and Interdisciplinary databases that contain material on many subjects, and in many cases, these may be the best place to start your research.

Check for current technical problems

Finding Full-text from a Citation

Getting to Databases from Off-campus

What do those little icons after the database name mean?

Where do I start?

A database is a collection of information organized to provide efficient retrieval. 

A library database is an online resource that the library subscribes to that contains information from print sources such as magazines, newspapers, journals, and reference books, or collections of historical texts, or collections of images or videos or music. 

Article Databases

An article database enables you to search through thousands (sometimes millions) of different magazines, journals and newspapers to find articles on a particular topic. Some of the articles you will find are Full Text, which means you can read (or print out) the entire article right there online. Other times the database will only provide you with an abstract, or summary of the article. Other times, the database will only give you a citation, which tells you where you can find a print version of the article.

Reference Databases

Reference Databases provide reference information (facts, statistics, background information) from many different print sources. For example, we subscribe to Encyclopedia Britannica Online, which is an online version of the 29-volume set of print encyclopedias. Reference Databases are usually more subject-specific than the article databases, so that each one covers something like Art, Music, Law, Literature, or Science & Technology, to name a few.

Databases are not "internet" sources

Although you access our databases from the internet, the articles you find in them are reprinted from real live print sources. Most of the things you find in our databases cannot be found by searching Google or Wikipedia. These are subscription services that the library pays for. They are every bit a part of our library's collection as the books on our shelf, and unless you want to buy your own subscription, you must go through the library's website to access them.

You must login to use these databases from off-campus

Because these subscription services are paid for by the library, you can use them from any Sewanee computer on campus and you won't have to login. But if you are trying to access these from an off-campus computer (from home, or work, or Bangladesh), you will have to login to prove that you are associated with Sewanee. 

Tell us what you think!

Please give us your comments about any database that you try. Please send feedback to Patricia Thompson. You can also send questions or problems to this same email address.

Librarians are available to assist you with your research in any subject area. Please consult the list below to find the librarian who will be the best person to assist you.

Joan Blocher
jobloche@sewanee.edu, 598-1778
Asian Studies, Modern Languages, Music, Philosophy, Psychology, Religion, Theology

Mary O'Neill
moneill@sewanee.edu, 598-1660
Art & Art History, European Studies, History, Medieval Studies, Physical Education & Athletics, Women's Studies

Cari Reynolds
cshepher@sewanee.edu, 598-1697
American Studies, English, Film Studies, Theatre Arts

Kevin Reynolds
kreynold@sewanee.edu, 598-1366
Anthropology, Classical Languages, Economics, Education, International Studies, Law, Politics

Heidi Syler
hsyler@sewanee.edu, 598-1709
Biology, Chemistry, English, Environmental Studies, Forestry & Geology, Mathematics & Computer Science, Physics

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